Styrofoam Deepsea Landfill
by FortheFoxes
Summary: 2D bought an apartment, he just wanted to get away from everything involving Gorillaz after the El Mañana tragedy. Murdoc bought an island, he just wanted to make a new album. And he's going to need his singer for that. (Will eventually be 2Doc)
1. wake up

It was what seemed like an ordinary morning when Stuart '2D' Pott realized something.

He was lying in a bed, in a state somewhere between sleep and awareness. He was not yet ready to open his eyes and as he mentally separated the dreams he had been having from reality, the creeping sensation something was wrong came over him. He tried to ignore the anxiety and continued the process of waking up like usual, wriggling his toes to check if his muscles were awake yet. Stuart never quite got to know, as he found out he couldn't move his toes much anyway. They were restricted by something familiar, something that felt suspiciously much like his shoes. Had he gone to sleep with his them still on? He never did that.

He didn't even need to be fully awake to know that something really _was_ wrong. Not only was he still wearing his shoes and regular clothes, he was not in his own bed. It smelled strange and unfamiliar, and besides, the lights that danced before his closed eyelids were a dead giveaway. They were blue and moving, as if the singer had found himself underwater someway. Had he overdosed again? that was a possibility, but this didn't feel like the last time he had taken a bit too much of the fun stuff. That, and the smell was more akin to dead fish than that sterile hospital smell...

Had he died somehow then? Was he currently being reincarnated? Did he even actually believe in reincarnation? Sure, he considered himself a Buddhist. But he hadn't quite lived by the rules, now had he?

Well, the singer thought, say that reincarnation was in fact what was happening, and he was to become some marine animal.. -A headache starting forming somewhere in the back of the his head. Would he have to deal with.. _whales_?

He noticed his breath had sped up and his headache was not getting any better. 2D told himself to take calm breaths._ in, out. in, out._ This went on for a while and with the calmer breathing came more rational thoughts. If he truly had died, why would it feel like just any other groggy morning? And wouldn't he at least remember he had died? He should have panicked. 2D never forgot to panic.

And there's the fact that marine creatures don't tend to wear shoes. So, whatever had happened he would not have to deal with whales. Thank the gods.

The fact that he had not suddenly been reincarnated did nothing to lessen his anxiety though, and behind his still closed eyelids -he didn't dare open them- his headache pounded away. He considered the idea that maybe he was still dreaming. But that couldn't be right? If you realize you're dreaming, get to do whatever you want in the dream or you wake up. Those where the rules, and even after his ''maybe I'm dreaming'' train of thought he was still in an completely unfamiliar bed. No dream then. the blue-haired singer tried to get his anxiety under control by telling himself he had just left with some bird the night before, that he was in her bed and he would probably have to get out and get dressed before some paparazzi found him and took pictures. But it didn't work one bit, he knew he was only lying.

He hadn't gone with any bird. He hadn't even gone out, had he? Stuarts heart started racing faster when he realized he couldn't even remember the night before. He couldn't remember going to sleep!

Now, 2D was not the example of a great mind. His most common thought was probably something along the lines of _'wait whut?_'. But, his memory was fine. He remembered all the little details. Every bird he had shagged, every time Murdoc had yelled at him, every time he and Russel had discussed music. He remembered how the sky had looked the day he fell out of that tree, and the exact confused expression on his mother's face when his hair had fallen out and then grown back,blue of all colours!

But he did not remember going to sleep. And even besides all the other thing clearly wrong, that was worrisome.

2D did not move for some time, but of course in time his curiosity started winning over his fear. His anxiety had only grown worse, but he could hardly lie in the same position on the bed until something happened. His eyes were burning to see. He cracked open one eye, just the slightest bit. the first thing he noticed was the colour orange. The whole room seemed to be painted orange. As he looked around he automatically opened his other eye as well, and not soon after he wished he hadn't, because with his bigger range of vision he could now notice movement right next to the bed. He slowly moved his head towards the danger, the moment seemed to play in slow motion to Stuart. He noticed a window, one of those gray marine-style ones. Stuart contemplated the window for a while, It sure is strange how the mind can try to distract us from the things we don't want to see. But of course 2D had to acknowledge the thing _behind_ the window at some point.

The thing that was moving. it was black with grey around it, and when the singer realized what he was looking at he jumped away from the window, falling down on the ground headfirst in the progress, his the headache was killing after that, but 2D took no notice. Once on the ground he made himself as small as possible and he just froze. His complete body stopped working and he pressed his eyes shut, tighter than before. Waves of fear rolled over him. His body started shaking and 2D could not think. His mind had been overwritten with fear. It just had to be a whale's eye watching him. Of course it had to be. Of course..

As 2D lay on the ground shaking, oblivious to his surroundings, the sound of a door opening could be heard. And while 2D was too busy at failing to deal with his phobia, someone stepped around him and pulled two purple curtains in front of the window together, obscuring the whale's eye from view.

Said person then sat down on the bed and let out a low chuckle while staring at the shivering man in front of him.

''Oh man, ya weren't lying with the whole whale thing, where ya faceache?''

* * *

**author note**

so hi! I hope you guys liked this, its the beginning of a story I'm planning to write, you should probably see it as a teaser.

I've recently gotten into gorillaz and none of my friends like it quite as much as I do, so I've taken up writing fanfiction to express my love for the band and their story. (As opposed to yelling about it to friends ;) which is what I normally do to express my love for stuff)

Please note that I'm Dutch, so I'm not a native English speaker. if there are any mistakes please let me know!

And please just let me know what you thought~ I really want to continue! But it takes a lot of time to write (I spent about three hours on this, and it's only a bit more than thousand words..) so if I feel like no one appreciates it I won't be very motivated to write ^^;

Plus I would just love to hear from you guys!

**notes on the story**

Some notes on the future of the story, I don't have a perfectly worked out plan as of now. The next chapter is going to be 2D coming to terms with being on the island and seeing Murdoc again, and probably 2D meeting cyborg Noodle. upcoming chapters are going to be longer than this one.

In the far, far future I think I'll involve Noodle and Russel in the story someway. That would be fun.

Oh, and this will probably be 2Doc. and I do recognize that as an abusive relationship, so I'll say this now: The portrayal of the relationship between the characters 2D and Murdoc is abusive. If a situation like theirs would arise in real life I would be disgusted with the abuser. I do not condone abuse in any way.

with that said I do ship them, as they are fictional characters.

Another note on the story, please do message me with any idea's you might have! Even if it's just ''hey check out this headcanon I have that has nothing to do with the story'' I would love to hear it 'key?

**question**

Okay last two things and I'll shut up ;)

Do you guys want me to write the accents or not? and if so, how 'heavy'? I personally find it a bit annoying when I have to decipher what they're talking about in a fanfic because the author left out all the vowels or something.. But let me know what you guys want!

And does anyone have a suggestion for a name for this story? That would be nice.

And with that it's 03:05 now, and I should probably sleep. 'till next time!

~forthefoxes


	2. I can talk

chapter 2- I can talk

_You get a lot from this_  
_Loose tongue and arrogance_  
_It's not appropriate_  
_Don't think that this is it_

two door cinema club - I can talk

2D's mind went blank.

''Muds..'' He uttered. The other words he had wanted to say died on his lips as soon as the name got out. The blue haired boy sounded weak. He was still trembling, his black eyes all wide and staring in the direction of the bassist before him.

The bassist in turn looked down on 2D with a cocky smile on his face. His singer was where exactly where he wanted him to be. The plan with the whale had worked out better than Murdoc could ever have expected, it was fucking_ beautiful. _Now, the green skinned man was well aware that 2D was not going to be capable of conversing right away. He couldn't hope to guess what was going on in that dented head of the singer, but whatever it was, it was taking all of 2D's attention.

The bassist couldn't help himself though, the blue haired boy had said something so Murdoc had to react. ''yeah ya dullard? ya got sumthin' to say to me?''

2D didn't even hear him. there where too many emotions running trough his body. They came in shocks, and they messed with him more than any drug had before. There was fear, because the whale was still outside. Anger, because how dare Murdoc talk to him so casually after having him kidnapped, after what had happened. Somewhere there was also relief, and maybe even happiness at seeing the green skinned man again. Then followed the disgust, because how messed up in the head was he to feel happiness when he was fucking kidnapped? In the end it was too much. Somewhere in the singers brain his mental defense mechanism got switched on, and then the emotions where gone. What was left was disbelief.

The situation simply wasn't real.

2D was not sitting in some crazy underwater room, and he definitely was not staring at those mismatched eyes he knew so well. The eyes of the person who had made his life by turning Stuart 'works in a keyboard shop' Pott into the world famous celebrity he was now. Or rather, the world famous celebrity he had been. He was done with Gorillaz, because as much as Murdoc had made the singers life, he had broken everything down with the el manana tragedy. 2D did not want to think about what had happened that day, so he didn't. He never had really. He remembered Murdoc coming home alone after the shooting of the video. He remembered asking where Noodle had been, and the inevitable beating that followed.

His memory of the time after that was hazy. It had just been lots and lots of drugs. And alcohol, and cigarettes. Russel had been there at first, but 2D had not listened to Russel when the bassist yelled that Noodle would never have wanted the singer to waste away on drugs and liqueur. And so Russel had left.

The singers daily intake multiplied after that. He took every drug that promised to take him away, to make him experience anything other than reality, that made it possible to stop thinking about the answer that Murdoc had yelled after the beating. Anything to forget that things would never be the same again.

The drugs had made the blue haired boy dream. There where the usual drug-induced dreams of course, but also others. Those were terrible because they were actually somewhat realistic. Drugs made it hard to distinguish any hallucination from reality, but if the hallucination was utterly impossible 2D knew it was just the pills and smokes messing with his mind. The other dreams were different. In the terrible dreams he was himself, but somehow he was always wearing this weird mask on top of his head. He was always traveling with Murdoc, and Noodle.

The most vivid of those dreams had been a car chase. Murdoc behind the wheel, 2D riding shotgun and Noodle in the back. At fist it had been a happy dream, it tricked the singer into thinking that everything was normal. That they were just getting groceries while Russel stayed at the studio. But then they were followed by other cars and they were shot at and noodle was not the real noodle en noodle had guns. That made the singer remember that the real noodle was fucking dead and from then on it was just anxiety and heartache.

He never did remember how he had returned to reality after that particular hallucination, at some point he had just been back in his apartment, and then he had probably taken more pills and now he was here.

Maybe this was just another weird hallucination, 2D thought. Of course it was. It had to be. Gorillaz was done. Murdoc had gone. That rhymed, the singer almost found it funny. 2D was just going to stay where he was and wait for the drug induced dream to pass. He did what he always did situations like these, he closed his eyes and started singing. Nothing big, just a calm song to quietly sing to himself as he waited for Murdoc and the orange walls to fade away.

'_'That there, that's not me.''_ He started slowly_ ''I go where I please, I walk through walls, I float down the Liffey.'' S_inging was familiar, it calmed him down. _I'm not here. This isn't happening. I'm not here, I'm not-_ 2D was abruptly cut off by a loud sound. It had been a slap, right in his face.

2D had _felt_ that. And with the pain his mind started racing again, because if he actually felt that it was real. And if that slap was real this was no illusion and Murdoc was really staring down at him with a scowl that seemed to grow more impatient with the second. The moment 2D realized that this was no hallucination he stumbled backwards at top speed until his back hit a wall, and then he froze. He just needed some time to progress what was happening, fuck, why couldn't he think faster? No, scrap that, he knew why. His mind had never been the same after the accident and his frequent drug use hadn't helped either. But what use was knowing that now? he needed to think about what to say. Oh god what to say...

''M'sorry Muds,'' the words just flew out of his mouth.

That was not what the blue haired singer had _wanted_ to say. Not at all. He was angry at Murdoc. He wanted to scream at the man before him. He didn't want to act so_ submissive. _2D hated this. He hated Murdoc. Or rather, he hated how he acted around Murdoc. He hated the fact the he _didn't_ hate Murdoc.

Before 2D could confuse himself further, the bassist interrupted his thoughts.

''Whatever dullard, just don't go singin' them bloody depressing songs around me again will ya?'' The green skinned man asked, not expecting an actual answer.

Murdoc knew precisely what was going on in 2D's pretty head. He didn't really know why the younger band member idolized him as much as he did, but it was a fact, and who was Murdoc to not make use of that? the 2D was _his _singer. He had been his the moment Murdoc crashed his car into that stupid organ emperium or whatever it was called, and he fact that the black eyed boy before him was apologizing while Murdoc was the one who had him gassed and kidnapped only proved his point.

Murdoc swiftly continued talking before the singer sitting on the ground could collect his thoughts. ''So 'D my boy tell me...'' The bassist purposely added a dramatic pause just to catch the look of fearful anticipation on the younger man's face. Murdoc dragged the pause out, making the singer even more uncomfortable. 2D could never predict Murdoc, but he expected the usual anger. His slender fingers started twitching again.

''what'r ya sitting on the ground for?'' Murdoc suddenly continued, snorting near the end of the sentence as 2D stumbled over his own legs in an attempt to jump up at lightning speed.

''tha's not funny murdoc,'' 2D said, now standing and holding his hand against the wall for support.

'' 's not funny at all,'' He added. '' 's very mean, innit? And the kidnappin'? Did ya..'' The singer closed his trembling hand, the one that was not currently against the wall, into a fist. He wasn't just gonna let this happen. No he could never hate murdoc, but he could get angry when he dared to. And with the el manana aftermath on his mind his anger overrode his fear.

''did'ya really just kidnap me? '' 2d asked, raising his voice. Murdoc opened his mouth to reply, but this time 2D wasn't going to let him talk. The singer knew the answer.

''why Murdoc? ya knew that I was well 'n done with gorillaz, ya fucking got Noodle killed, but that just wasn't enough was it?'' The singer was breathing heavily now, but he wasn't finished. He had more to say to the bassist before him.

''ya had to go 'n kidnap me. Did ya really think I wanted to see you 'fter all that happened? Did ya think it was gunna be a big ol' happy reunion?'' A few angry breaths later he continued. ''why am I even here? I counted on never seein' ya face again and ya know what? I w's fucking glad. But of course ya don't give a fuck about my feelings 'n you just shove me in sum crazy underwater room 'n I wake up 'n there's a bloody whale starin' right at me and then you come in and pretend all 's fine 'n dandy when it's not 'cus I don't want to be here 'n then ya slap me right in the face and laugh at me 'n 'n.. 'n...'' 2D was out of words to yell, just as he was out of breath. Black spots swam in his vision and the singer was forced to slump back to his previous sitting position against the wall. His headache was killing him, and his rage was quickly being replaced by a mixture of self pity and sadness.

''just.. why Muds?'' The singer spoke those last words softly but still audible.

2D just refused to linger on the fact that his voice had cracked at that last word.

* * *

**author note**

to be completely honest, I had forgotten this story. I remember uploading the first chapter thinking 'well, It's horrible but I'll just upload it so the time spent on writing doesn't feel completely wasted'. I never thought I would actually get reviews! so I just wanted to say thanks to the people who reviewed, I wouldn't have written on without you. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

on another note, I've decided to name every chapter after a song. The song won't necessarily _sound_ right for the chapter, but the lyrics should fit. (and a few sentences of the lyrics will be at the beginning of the chapter)

The song 2D was singing is _how to disappear completely_ by_ radiohead,_ and the song this chapter was named after is _I can talk_ by _two door cinema club._


	3. Here I pass the day

_Here I pass the day in a most peculiar way,_

_watching ships out in the bay, and I swallow so hard._

_Am I too weak to fight?_

_As the day becomes the night, and I don't want to be right._

Flume - Some Minds

'' 'Cus you an' me are making a new album ya dullard''

2D kept hearing that one sentence in his head. Over and over. It had been said in typical Murdoc fashion, patronizing with an undertone that promised hell if 2D did not comply with the bassist. And of course Murdoc's signature demonic grin had been there, mocking the younger singer. And then the demon had left, slamming the doors shut behind him, showing once again that he did not care about the singer. 2D's head had felt as if someone had hit it with an iron baseball bat.

It was only when his headache had subsided enough for the singer to think again that he realised what Murdoc had said. The bassist expected to make an album, with just the two of them? 2D didn't want that. Not at all. How could they ever make an album without Russel and Noodle? Who would ever replace the missing band members? Was Murdoc planning to kidnap Russel? Somehow that did not seem like a possibility, Russel would break down any prison walls and probably beat up Murdoc for having the nerve to kidnap him again. 2D sometimes wished he was a bit more like Russel. But of course he wasn't, which was why the singer was imprisoned and Russel was not.

Was the drummer going to be replaced then? And.. Who would play guitar? The mere thought of Murdoc replacing Noodle with some new guitar player made the singer feel sick. The bassist was a proper demon, but even he wasn't that much of a monster right?

It scared 2D that he wasn't sure.

2D had expected to find his answers soon though. He thought Murdoc would come barging in again moments after having left, possibly yelling at 2D for not doing anything and throwing lyric sheets at his face so they could start making that sodding new album, but then time had passed and no such thing had happened.

2D soon found out that time was a big problem. Or rather, not knowing the time was. There were no clocks, so the singer had no clue on how late it was or how fast time was passing. After sitting down on his bed for a while to think of solutions for this problem, Stuart remembered you could get the time by looking at the position of the sun. He felt so happy for actually coming up with a solution himself, but that didn't last long as the singer realised it wouldn't work at all. Had he been on land it would have worked. But 2D was currently underwater. The light that filtered trough the curtains had not even once changed in brightness or hue since he had been there. Not only did he not know the time, he found himself only able to guess whether it was day or night. The black eyed singer had no idea how long he had been underwater, how much time had passed since he had been woken up that first time.

2D suddenly felt like he had been in the room for weeks, and the fact that that might as well be true made the singer anxious. How long had it been since Murdoc had slammed the doors? 2D frantically starting counting in his head, trying to measure how long ten seconds felt so he could compare it with his time in the room. Sadly his head was not an organized one, he found himself being distracted by other thoughts time and time again before even reaching eight. He then started counting faster out of frustration, but upon reaching ten he realised that he couldn't compare anything with ten seconds if the ten he had counted were shorter than seconds. The whole thing made 2D's headache rise to unbearable levels again. He found himself lying on his side on the bed, curled up into a ball, back arched and his knees close to his face. He just wanted the anxiety and confusion to go away. He wished for his drugs. Any kind, didn't matter. he needed them, or at least his meds. He would ask Murdoc the next time he showed his face. That'd better be soon. Those were 2D's last thoughts before he fell in an uneasy sleep.

Upon waking up 2D found himself in the same orange room he had fallen asleep in. The room hadn't changed and the singer still hadn't regained his sense of time, but something was different. It took a while but after waking up fully and rubbing his black eyes 2D noticed the change. The room still stank of dead fish, but there was a different smell as well now. A pleasant smell, one that 2D's nose had not picked up for quite some time. Not long after that he identified the source of the change. There, by the door, lay a plate of what looked like stew of all things. 2D did not know how to feel about that. He was happy with the food, but at the same time Murdoc had been in his room without saying anything to the singer. Was this some kind of game? Did Murdoc want to see how long 2D could survive in isolation without his meds?

The smell brought his mind back to the food and 2D quickly left the bed to retrieve the plate, doing his best not to stumble over the various items that cluttered the room. He sat himself down by the plate, briefly pondered over the safety of the food and, upon deciding that he didn't care even if there was something weird in it, he started eating. Murdoc wouldn't kidnap the singer only to poison him afterwards. And 2D was _hungry._

To his great surprise the stew actually tasted home made. It was amazing. The singer couldn't remember the last time he had eaten home made food, it had probably been years. Even at Kong Studio it had mostly been pizza or mac 'n cheese. 2D fondly remembered Russel occasionally buying vegetables for Noodle, and and the girls grumpy face as she was forced to eat them. None of them had been able to cook very well.

As 2D scraped the last bit of food from the plate as he wondered how Murdoc had gotten his hands on actual, good food. Food that required more than a push on the microwave button. The mental image of Murdoc watching one of those cooking shows and trying to recreate the dish of the episode with a big chef's hat on made 2D snicker. His spirits had definitely been lifted by a bit of sleep and some food.

Still, the food appearing bugged him. Murdoc definitely hadn't made it himself, and he would never go to a restaurant to buy food just for 2D. Someone had made the stew, and 2D couldn't think of anyone who would willingly cook for Murdoc. Was there someone else held captive by Murdoc? Where there more rooms like his on wherever they where? where on the planet where they even?

Too many questions and not nearly enough information. The singer had nothing at home to get back to, but he felt like escaping just to get some answers, to clear up the confusion. And, he reminded himself, because of Murdoc. Because Murdoc thought that this was an okay thing to do. His good mood quickly turned into an angry one, he was just as angry with himself as with the bassist. Had some food really been enough to make him forget that Murdoc had kidnapped him? That Murdoc was the who had locked him up with a whale right outside the window?

2D knew that Murdoc just assumed that he would play along without a fight. Because of that the singer felt the need to prove that he wasn't some puppet. To Murdoc, but also to himself. He had to get out of the room somehow.

Sadly, escaping turned out to be near impossible. The ceiling, the floor and most of the walls weren't even an option, 2D didn't know how much of the room was surrounded by water, so even if he could somehow break trough a wall there was a chance the ocean would just flood in and he would drown in his prison. 2D bitterly imagined Murdoc laughing at his pathetic death and then getting angry because he wouldn't get his album. No, that was not what the singer wanted.

What other options did he have? The singer refused to even consider the window, so all that was left was the door. The only sure way to get in or out of the room without having to swim.

But the door wasn't even a normal door or anything, it was more like an elevator. 2D was many things, but strong wasn't particularly one of them. He couldn't hope to pry open two bloody elevator doors, and if it really was an elevator the elevator itself would probably be somewhere else and 2D would just face an empty shaft he could fall into if he managed to get the doors to open. That wasn't a good plan either. Why did all his options have to end with him kicking the bucket?

Even though he didn't particularly mind dying at this point, he didn't want to die while still trapped by the bassist. The singer felt like dying in or near his godforsaken prison would only confirm that Murdoc somehow owned him, that it was either living on Murdoc terms or not living at all. And 2D didn't want that. He had to show Murdoc that he could live for himself, that he was someone who made his own decisions. He had to escape, or at least fight back _somehow._

But fighting back wasn't possible when Murdoc didn't show himself, and escaping was not an option unless the elevator arrived and the doors opened. So 2D waited. Murdoc would come eventually.

2D's mind wasn't damaged enough for him to think that the demon would come because he cared for the singer, but why would the bassist put him in a room, tell him they would be making a new album and then just leave him alone? 2D would wait for the doors to open. And so he did. He sat on the ground with his back against the bed so he wouldn't have to face the window, and he waited.

And as he waited the singer encountered a new problem. Boredom. What was there to do?

The singer knew he could examine the room further, there sure was a lot of stuff lying around. Most of it was actually his stuff, the singer realised upon looking around. Murdoc had actually cared enough to- the singer wanted to slap himself at that train of thought. He couldn't allow himself to start feeling fucking grateful towards the older man when said man was the reason he was stuck here. No, gods no. Murdoc had carelessly shoved some of his old junk in his prison, the bassist would probably use it against him later and it would probably work as well, 2D thought bitterly. He hated how he still felt affection towards the green skinned demon. It was wrong. But when he looked around the room he saw his old banjo, and he couldn't help but allow himself to feel a little warmth inside. Murdoc knew 2D couldn't survive without music.

The singer didn't actually want to play the banjo, that would just be playing along with Murdoc's game. But before he knew it he had grabbed it and started tuning the dusty instrument. He couldn't help himself. Making music was the next best thing, after drugs, to make him forget his headache and problems. He could forget how messed up his emotions where concerning Murdoc, just for a moment. So there he sat on the floor. Just him, him and the banjo and a song.

'_'As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts _

_Oh the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms _

_Was it love or fear of the cold that led us through the night? _

_For every kiss your beauty trumped my doubt''_

As his fingers continued plucking 2D realised he didn't even know who he was singing about, he had no one particular in mind. It was just a song he had heard on the radio some time ago. Apparently the lyrics and banjo chords had stayed in his memory, so he sung.

_And my head told my heart _

_"Let love grow" _

_But my heart told my head _

_"This time no _

_This time no" _

_We'll be washed and buried one day my girl _

_And the time we were given will be left for the world _

_The flesh that lived and loved will be eaten by plague _

_So let the memories be good for those_-

He had to end the song right there. A banjo snare had sprung.

Gods, 2D wished that was the only reason. The truth was that the singer felt too emotional too continue. Why did he have to ruin music, his only escape in his prison, by playing a song about love?

2D had only been in a real relationship twice, and both relationships had been short-lived, courtesy of the man who was now keeping him prisoner.

When the band had been together it had been just fine, they were a family. The four of them. A very dysfunctional, but happy family. 2D hadn't felt lonely then. But then the band had fallen apart and the singer had realised that he had no one to go to. He had been done with Murdoc, Noodle was gone and Russel had left (2D couldn't blame him.) Even the time after that he hadn't met anyone. He hadn't socialised, hadn't made any friends.

He always thought he would be able to count on his fans, but in the first few months reminders of Gorillaz had been too painful, so he had refused to give autographs and such. The moment he had decided to interact with fans again, just to cure his loneliness, everyone seemed to have forgotten who he was.

Of course there were always birds to sleep with, he wasn't 'the pretty boy of the band' for nothing. But birds were gone in the morning, and if not they left when they found out that the pills weren't a once a month thing for 2D. It had been a terrible time. How how as the singer supposed to show Murdoc that he could be on his own when he clearly couldn't?

Thinking about that only made the singers head hurt more.

* * *

**Important**

**I reread the old version of this chapter and decided that I did not like it at all. I rewrote most of it, so here's the new, updated version! **

the author notes below are the original ones from the old version. I kept them because some reviews wouldn't make sense anymore otherwise.

I know the old version was longer than this one, but the part that I cut from the old version will be on the next chapter!

* * *

** Author note**

Hi guys and gals and everyone outside of the gender binary! I've got good and bad news.

The bad news is that I've got a concussion, which means that I can't do anything that requires me to do more than sit in my room in relative silence.

The good news is that writing is something I can do in my room in relative silence, so that means updates! hurray!

also fun fact: The concussion makes me feel more like 2D than ever. I'm already the same height as him, we share the whole ''I don't even get what's going on around me'' vibe and now we share the constant headache as well. All I need is to dye my hair and get in a car crash twice and I can be his female counterpart B)

**Notes on the story**

I also hope that it's clear that to 2D the song truly meant nothing. It wasn't about Murdoc either, it was just the first song that popped up in his head.

**question**

And to end it just another questions for you readers,

2D is going realise that he's in love with Murdoc at some point.

The question is, should Murdoc be/fall in love with 2D as well or not?

should he return the feeling so it's just them in a real relationship? I'll never write Murdoc as some lovey-dovey Casanova, but however I write him I feel like him falling in love with 2D would not really be realistic. It would be the happier version of the story though!

Because the other option would be for Murdoc just to play along because hey, it's another way to manipulate his singer and to make him feel even more like he's got power over 2D. That version would be a bit more messed up. (I won't go to any extremes though~)

so what do you guys want? please let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

**Important!**

I have decided to rewrite this story. I've recently learned a lot of new stuff about writing and looking at it now this story is just.. not so good. I'm probably going to keep this version as it is and upload the rewritten version as a new story! this might take a while though.

So I'll just upload chapter 4 right now, it _is_ written kind of rushed because I knew I was going to be rewriting it anyway, but it's better than nothing right?

also, I earlier rewrote a bit of chapter 3, if you only read the old version you might want to read it again before reading this chapter. just so that there's no confusion~

* * *

chapter 4.

A mechanical sound interrupted 2D's thoughts. Could it be?

2D, who had still been holding the banjo, quickly put it down and then stood up. He didn't want Murdoc to be looking down on him from the moment they saw each other. His height was one of the few things he had over Murdoc. He wasn't about to lose that.

The sound of the lift increased, it wouldn't take long now. 2D was shaking. Sure, he had wished for the demon to just come, if only to give the singer to opportunity to ask for his painkillers. but now that he would actually face Murdoc again he was nervous. There was just too much uncertainty. He didn't know what mood Murdoc would be in, he didn't know what Murdoc wanted at this exact moment, and worst of all 2D himself didn't know how he would react to seeing him again.

He also didn't know _where they stood_. Their relationship had always been weird to say the least. Murdoc had started out as his caretaker, although 2D remembered nothing of that. After that they had been band mates, they had been friends and rivals and enemies and Murdoc had abused him and driven everyone around him away but they had still been best mates, at least, that's how 2D had seen Murdoc. Murdoc had never stopped saying that he hated the blue haired singer. Yet it had been the person he claimed to hate so much he had invited in the winnie to come drinking or smoking in the evenings. The scattered memories 2D had of those evenings were like a far of dream now, but they were the best memories he had.

Thinking of those times hurt. Everything had changed too much. This time, they weren't friends. They were captor and captive. Would they ever go back to their old, complicated relationship? It dawned on 2D that they probably would, but it would require for him to ignore the whole 'kidnapped and held captive in a small room' thing. Not to mention el mañana. Murdoc seemed to be doing the ignoring just fine. 2D wished he could.

2D tried to prepare himself when the sound of the lift moving quieted down until all he heard was his own heart beating. It was completely silent. The PING of the elevator arriving made the tense singer jump up. Before he could recover the doors opened, and there stood Murdoc.

The first thing 2D noticed was that he had not actually seen Murdoc that first time. he had been too shocked and confused to really pay attention. This was the first time in years he was looking, _really_ looking at Murdoc, and he looked different. He appeared older now, older and tired. The 'I didn't sleep last night' look was nothing new on the demon's green face, but 2D somehow found that the man standing before him looked tired in the way someone looks tired at the end of a vacation that took longer than expected. Someone who just wants to go home.

2D had only had a few seconds to observe this, the moment Murdoc's mismatched eyes focused on him a big smile appeared and Stuart realized he had been staring. He quickly moved his eyes downwards, noticing the bassist was carrying a half-emptied bottle of rum. Some things never changed.

2D instinctively shuffled back a bit as Murdoc confidently stepped away from the lift, automatic doors closing behind him. 2D had missed the chance to escape. He hadn't even caught a glance of the inside of the elevator.

'' 'D me mate! whut were ya up to?'' Murdoc said in a happy tone. 2D thought that his voice sounded.. off somehow. The singer was about to reply when the older man took a swig out of his bottle. He didn't seem to expect an answer. He just took a big step into the room and abruptly turned around to let himself fall on the small bed by the window. It was clear the green man felt at home as he half lay- half sat with his legs spread out, taking up more than half of the little space the bed had to offer.

2D, who had not kept up and was still staring at the space that had been occupied by Murdoc a few moments ago, felt himself being pulled back by his shirt. He also fell on the bed, right next to the bassist. The pretty boy wanted to quickly move away from his the green man, but said man put an arm around his neck, giving 2D no choice but to stay where he was. The singers' body seemed to turn to stone, his stomach filling with anxiety. Murdoc didn't notice nor care, he just brought the bottle to his mouth again.

When the alcohol -bottle now nearly empty- was down again 2D dared to sneak another glance at the other man's face. The smile was still there, but it wasn't a true smile. It wasn't even the sloppy drunk smile 2D had hoped for, or the cruel one he had feared. It was a tense smile. It was forced, misleading, fake. It was dangerous. The arm on his neck wasn't a friendly gesture. 2D knew it was a threat.

''So seriously'' Murdoc said, looking at the blue haired man.

''Whut were ya doin'?'' The bassist voice seemed to gain an edge now. 2D felt the arm tighten a little around his neck. This time he was expected to answer.

'''S'nuthing muds! I swear! I was just so bored 'n the banjo was there 'n I thought I could jus' play around a bit ya know? that's l'right innit? nuthing wrong with a bit of banjo I always say. Jus' like me mum used.. to..- nevermind that..'' 2D mumbled the last part. He had stopped himself the moment he noticed that he was starting to ramble. Murdoc hated his rambling. And there he was again, not doing something because Murdoc didn't like it. 2D felt so weak. He wanted to talk back to Murdoc, to tell him how he felt about being shoved in this stinking room. But the arm was still around his neck and Murdoc was drunk. 2D didn't want to die before he got away from his prison.

''Yeah yeah yeah, that's the problem innit?'' Murdoc said sharply.

''I jus' thought! I'm 2D 'n I just though!'' the bassist cruelly mocked the singers high pitched voice. 2D's headache increased, together with the urge to get away from the demon he was sitting next to.

''Well, tha whole wide world knows tha'ya can't think very well. I give ya your banjo 'n you decide to play a bloody love song, in which fuckin' universe is that a good idea? who was tha' song even about huh?'' Murdoc spat out. The bassist was well aware that he wasn't making a lot of sense but fuck that. He was drunk and he wasn't happy.

He had planned this whole thing differently. Yes, 2D was supposed to grow bored and play the banjo. That part had actually gone according to plan.

But 2D was supposed to play one of_ their _songs. He should have played o green world, or all alone or _anything_ the band had created. Murdoc had planned for 2D to play one of their songs, for his singer to be reminded of how great they had been. Just how much they could achieve in their music. 2D should have felt motivated to work with Murdoc on the new album after that. Everything would have been _peachy_.

But no, 2D had to play some other band's creation. The song that 2D had sung when he was still out of it the day the singer woke up had already bugged the bassist the wrong way, but this was worse, because now it had to be a love song. How could 2D be _his_ singer if he sung another band's love song, about Satan knows who? How was the blue haired boy ever going to work with Murdoc if he had met someone back in England? 2D would only have his stupid, stupid bird on his mind.

2D would probably still do everything Murdoc said because he feared him, but fear grew boring after a while. It was better when 2D was broken just a little, so that Murdoc could be the one to put him together again. However much Murdoc liked seeing the singer flinch when he moved in an unexpected way, he liked the look of mindless adoration 2D would sometimes have, when he thought Murdoc wasn't looking, more. He had to know who the song had been about, and then he had to make 2D forget whoever it was. He would get that dented head to look at him like that again.

''Ya gonna answer my question 'r not twodents? why the fuck were ya singin' that song jus' now? '' 2D just stared of into space. Murdoc knew the dimwit was probably lost in his thoughts again. The older man always thought of the singers mind like an old computer. If it had to process too much at once it just froze. And just like an old computer, you just kinda had to shake it to get it to work again. Murdoc did just that. He moved his arm so that his hand was on the younger man's shoulder, ignored the flinch he felt and just started shaking him violently. 2D had already been taken out of his thoughts by the sudden hand on his shoulder so the shaking ended up having no purpose, but Murdoc did it anyway. The stricken look on the singers face was as funny as always.

'''Muds, my headache..'' 2D mumbled quietly as he held his head in both hands and waited for the stars he saw to fade away. The singer felt sick, he just wanted to be alone now, and he wanted his pain killers as well. Unfortunately for the singer Murdoc wasn't in the mood to be asked about medication. When 2D felt well enough to raise his head he saw Murdoc looking annoyed. And when 2D, now knowing what to say, just stared at the green skinned man the annoyed expression grew into a furious one. 2D could see the demon's hand was itching to slap him.

''Murdoc you're just drunk a'right? There's.. There's no reason t' get angry now..'' 2D said, trying to keep the peace. But the bassists mood wasn't going to go change that easily. Of course not. This was Murdoc, he didn't need a reason to be angry. The singer felt like the older man could get infuriated solely at the thought of 2D's existence sometimes. An answer to the question... 2D had to swallow before he continued.

''I wasn't even doin' anythin' wrong 'Muds. I was' jus' so bored 'n the banjo was jus' there ya know? The fuck was I gonna know that I wasn't to play? Ya just put me in this stinkin' room 'n expect me to sit here 'n do.. What? What 'r ya expectin' me to do when I can't even play my banjo? Why's the sodding thing even here then? Did ya even think this one through?'' 2D wasn't done yet. Talking like this, actually talking back to Murdoc felt life threatening and extremely satisfying at the same time. It was like bungee jumping with a tattered rope. He would probably get hurt in the end, but for now he would enjoy the adrenaline.

''Fuck Murdoc, why am _I_ even here? Are we really gonna make a new album or are ya just saying that? Ya never thought to jus' ask me if I even wanted to? No, let's jus' kidnap him 'n let him rot in a stinkin' room, without his meds and with a fuckin' whale outside! Do ya wan' to get me killed? Is tha' it? Jus'.. Jus' like ya killed Noodle?''

2D stopped and gasped. Had he really just said that? He had gone too far. Way too far.

Up until that last part Murdoc had just stared at 2D, looking more curious than anything else. He was still drunk, and it wasn't every day that 2D acted so.. assertive. but at the mention of Noodle his expression changed back to the angry one. He was livid. Before 2D could even mutter an apology Murdoc's hands where around his neck. Squeezing. The singer tried to shove Murdoc away but the adrenaline had left him, and his underused muscles couldn't hold it against Murdoc's drunken rage. After a few seconds of his windpipe violently being pressed close he could only weakly flail his arms and he felt his heart rate drop. Dark spots took over his vision, and finally there was only black.

It took Murdoc a minute to notice his singer had gone limp. He wasn't done yet though. He dropped 2D on the bed and, blinded by rage, started beating the unconscious body.

He had **not** been the one to kill Noodle.

it **wasn't**. **his**.** fault**.

CRACK. That had been a rib, probably.

Murdoc tried to calm himself. He couldn't have his singer die now. They both just needed to forget about the old Noodle. He _had_ made a new one after all.

So 2D didn't want to stay in his room anymore? Fine. It was time for singer and cyborg to meet.

* * *

**anon response**

Arthur:

I think I personally prefer the second option as well~ I'll wait to see if more people reply but if not I'll go with that. (But if you read this and you're like oh no I really want them to just fall in love let me know! I haven't made the final choice yet or anything)

and thanks! My head's feeling better now fortunately ^^

TheisticSantaist:

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm still deciding on what to do, I may have Murdoc realising that he actually loves 2D as well, but then again, like anon Arthur said, Murdoc really does seem aromantic. (I'll admit that I had forgotten he's bi, whas that said in an interview or something?)

And on 2D, so far the story had mostly been him and his thoughts in the room so I haven't really gotten the chance to fully show of his character~ But I also don't want to overdo anything. Does anyone else think 2D isn't jittery enough?

And about you saying I sounded crazy... That gave me a bit of a shock ^^; Did I really sound that bad? I just mentioned that I had a headache because of a concussion and me and 2D share some similarities, so the headache gave me one more thing I had in common with the character I was writing about. It was honestly just a joke of some sorts? I fully realise that 2D is a fictional character and that I am not him. (I feel so silly for even writing this w)


	5. Chapter 5

_I sat and dreamed at the foot of your bed _

_You split my skull and reached inside my head _

_And pulled out the pictures I'd been wishing I'd forget_

radical face - glory

2D Was hallucinating, he was sure of it.

He remembered Murdoc hitting him and the world turning black.

Did head trauma cause hallucinations? It had to, the singer thought. He was lying on the bed, and while he was still seeing stars and he couldn't focus his eyes quite right, he thought he saw Noodle. Thought, because he _knew_ she was dead. 2D didn't want this. Didn't want any of this. He closed his eyes again and moved to turn around, but a voice interrupted his movement.

''Oh no faceache, we've waited long enough for ya to wake up now'' 2D immediately identified the voice as Murdoc's. He opened his eyes again- stars now fading to the edge of his vision- and sure enough, there stood the green skinned man. And next to him...

2D stared, blinked, rubbed his eyes and blinked again. It didn't change what he saw.

Noodle. Noodle was just standing there.

But that was impossible. It couldn't be. Noodle wouldn't stand that motionless, Noodle wouldn't smile that sinister and Noodle _wasn't alive. _2D moved his eyes from the Noodle-who-couldn't-be-Noodle to Murdoc. Of course, the green man was just smirking down at him. The situation was surreal and 2D had trouble finding a way to express his thoughts and emotions. Only half finished words managed to come out of his mouth, getting more incomprehensible and panicked by the second.

In the end, when he caught Murdocs smirk growing bigger from amusement he shut his mouth and closed his eyes, thinking very hard on what he wanted to say.

He pushed any feelings out of his mind for a moment before opened them again, black orbs focusing solely on Murdoc.

''Muds, wh- what did you do?'' 2D was proud that he'd only stuttered once, although Murdoc probably picked up his conflicted feelings just from the tone he'd used anyway. It didn't matter at the moment.

''Well 'D, let me tell you. I knew we where goin' to make a new album yeah? and I knew it had to be _grand, so _I thought to myself, how am I going to achieve that? I could get you easy of course, but I still needed guitar and drums. Russel couldn't be found, so I borrowed some of his old equipment, had a bit of fun, mixed and matched and I ended up with the perfect drum machine!'' Murdoc paused to check 2D's reaction. The singer was still sitting on the bed, still staring up at him, clearly refusing to look at the new Noodle. He didn't react audibly, but his mouth was a thin line and his hands where tight fists again. Murdoc continued.

''Then, there was the guitar. That was a bit more.. complicated. I won't go into details 'cus your empty head wouldn't be able to understand any of it, but I got some of, ahum, our old guitarists DNA, got a wig, and I build a cyborg! Faceache, meet cyborg Noodle!'' with that he made a hand signal, and the now identified cyborg stepped forward, forcing 2D to look at her. 2D immediately moved to the far end of the bed, away from the monstrosity. He didn't get far though, as he received a grim reminder of what had happened before he had gone to 'sleep'. Murdoc had beaten him- hard.

Something was wrong in his chest area. Something that hurt like hell, worse than his headache. He ended up at the foot end of the bed, cradling his chest with his arms.

He couldn't do anything, he couldn't get away from the living reminder of his dead friend, or from the if the situation wasn't bad enough he heard a soft beep, and when the pain had subsided just a little because he had stopped moving he looked up into the barrel of a gun. The fake Noodle was still grinning and 2D wanted to cry. It felt like a very bad horror movie, thought up by a very sick person. Coincidentally, that was the moment he heard Murdoc talk from somewhere near the door.

''Before I forget to warn ya twodents, she's not only a great guitarist, but she's a fighter too! I won't bore ya with the details.. but I wouldn't make any unexpected moves, capiche?'' He made another hand signal and the gun was withdrawn, the cyborg taking a step back again. Murdoc cleared his throat to get 2D's attention again.

''So 'D, ya remember last night? I take it you understand that some things are of topic here yeah? I hope ya learned your lesson now 'cus yer rib is bruised and it's delaying our recording schedule.'' with those words Murdoc threw something on the bed.

''I thought you may've been missing these, can't have my singer in pain now can I?''

With those words he left, the cyborg getting in the lift with him. 2D noticed none of this. He stared at one spot by the door, his mind at war with itself. His headache raging together with the pain in his chest. It took some time, but at some point 2D registered that Murdoc had thrown something on the bed. He pried his eyes away from the spot to examine what it was, he almost didn't dare to hope.. Careful not to move his chest too much he picked the item up.

He immediately identified it from touch, having held it so many times before. A wave of relief made him forget the scene that had just transpired. He had his pill bottle. Finally. Thank the gods, whoever was watching. Thank Murdoc, he didn't care at the moment, he had his pills back.

2D shook until a generous amount of yellow and red and white ones lay on his open hand, and swallowed all of them dry.

Immediately after taking them 2D felt sick. Murdoc, he realized, was using his pills to reward him.

Would he have gotten them if he'd talked back like he'd wanted to do? Probably not. Nothing too do about it though, he'd already taken them, and he'd do it again if he'd had the realization before that.

Slowly the familiar haze came to take away any of his thoughts and bad emotions. With a blissful sigh he lay down on the bed again. He drifted off, away from the pain and Murdoc and the imposter. Maybe it was worth just playing along with Murdoc.. He'd needed this. Oh gods how he'd needed this.

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**author notes**

First of all.. I'm sorry! It's been almost a year since I last updated this story.. I guess my excuse is that last year was the year of my final exams which took a lot of time and energy, I did graduate so the time spent studying was worth it ;)

I also didn't really know what to do with this story. At first I wanted to rewrite all of it, then I decided against that and then I lost interest in Gorillaz for a bit. I started a batman fanfic and spent some time writing that...

The interest in Gorillaz is back though! I'm fully committed to write this story, however long it may take. This chapter is a bit short but I hope you'll agree that it's better than nothing! I'm uploading it now to let you all know I haven't abandoned this. And a huge shout-out to the reviewers! You're the reason I continue writing this. (Of course I also write because it's something I love to do, but without reviews telling me they like a specific story I'd start a new story every other week and never finish one!)

**notes on the story**

I swear 2D will finally get out of his prison in the next chapter! Murdoc won't want to wait much longer for his album ;)


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